This repository contains the materials for the D-Lab Excel Fundamentals workshop.
No prior Excel experience is assumed.
Check out D-Lab's Workshop Catalog to browse all workshops, see what is running now, and review prerequisites.
This workshop introduces the core Excel skills needed to work confidently with data. Participants will learn how to navigate Excel, organize spreadsheet data, use basic formulas, identify common data issues, and begin summarizing and visualizing data through sorting, filtering, pivot tables, and charts.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Navigate Excel's interface, including workbooks, worksheets, cells, and tables.
- Enter, format, and organize spreadsheet data correctly.
- Use shortcuts, autofill, and basic formulas to work more efficiently.
- Identify and fix common data issues, including inconsistent formatting, misformatted dates, and numbers stored as text.
- Sort, filter, summarize, and visualize data using basic Excel tools.
We will use Microsoft Excel to go through the workshop materials. Microsoft Excel Desktop is recommended because it has the fullest feature set and best performance. Excel for the web may work for some activities, but some features may be limited or appear differently.
Those in the UC Berkeley community have free access to Microsoft Excel through Microsoft 365:
https://software.berkeley.edu/microsoft-365-apps-enterprise
Before the workshop:
- Make sure Microsoft Excel is installed on your computer or available through Microsoft 365.
- Download the workshop workbook from this repository or the linked Google Drive folder.
- Open the workbook in Microsoft Excel.
- Open the workshop slides.
- Save a copy of the workbook before beginning the exercises.
This repository includes:
- Workshop slides
- Excel workbook / dataset
- Hands-on exercise materials
- Supporting resources, if included
Check out the following resources to learn more about Excel:
- Microsoft Excel Support
- ExcelJet
- LinkedIn Learning
- Dictionary of Excel Functions
- D-Lab Workshop Catalog
D-Lab works with Berkeley faculty, research staff, and students to advance data-intensive social science and humanities research. D-Lab provides practical training, consulting, resources, and space to support learners at all skill levels. No programming, statistical, or computer science background is necessary to get started with many D-Lab services.
Visit the D-Lab homepage to learn more about upcoming workshops, consulting, data services, and working groups.
- Lance Santana